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Elements
The elements of fire, air, earth, and water serve as the basic building blocks of all matter in the physical universe. Shamanic culture have long sought to live in harmony with, or assert dominion over, the elements. To do so, they call upon the primordial forces of Spirit and Decay. Those who seek to bring balance to the elements rely on Spirit (sometimes referred to as the "fifth element" by shaman, or "chi" by monks). This life-giving force interconnects and binds all things in existence as one, sacrificing its life. Sacrificial magic was considered the greatest violation of life and the energies of Life, most commonly known as nature magic, promote growth and renewal in all things. Death, in the form of necromantic magic, acts as a counterbalance to Life. It is an unavoidable force that breeds despair in mortal hearts and pushes everything toward a state of entropic decay and eventual oblivion.World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 1 pg. 16-17 on iBooks Decay is the tool of the shaman seeking to subjugate and weaponize the elements themselves.World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 1 pg. 17-18 on iBooks Arcane The arcane is a fundamental power which "mana" is just a measure of.Dave Kosak on Twitter In keeping with an author's theory that the arcane is an element unto itself, the author humbly offers the fact that there is at least one documented occasion wherein the Focusing Iris was utilized to enslave, direct, and control various elemental beings.Jaina Proudmoore: Tides of War pg. 375 on iBooks Fel Fel is the primal force of chaos and can pool into a green goop when it's in physical form.Dave Kosak on Twitter It is a substance that can be animated and, according to the Blizzard Historian Sean Copeland, is entropic as in "destroys life...".World of Warcraft > Forums > Story Forum > Fel isn't Arcane It seems like Copeland doesn't understand that destruction can be defined as the process of destroying structures, breaking them down into the parts that they're constructed of. Fel can't be "entropic" as in destroys life because life would be a construct, which is not a true living thing (like a toaster). Micky Neilson—22 year veteran of Blizzard Entertainment—states that it seems like just a change of energyMicky Neilson Twitter and fel (according to how the game designer Dave Kosak would described it) is chaotic energy that life is converted into.Dave Kosak on Twitter Denizens of the Cosmos Elemental Spirits The elemental spirits are primitive and chaotic beings of fire, earth, air, or water. They were some of the first sentient creatures to inhabit the nascent worlds of the universe. The elemental spirits appear in an almost infinite variety of shape and sizes. Each of these creatures has a distinct personality and temperament, traits that are heavily influenced by a spirit's elemental nature. The presence of the fifth element—Spirit—also affects the disposition of these elemental beings. A world with an overabundance of Spirit may give rise to native elementals who are passive and lack physicality. Conversely, a world with too little Spirit may birth elementals who are highly aggressive and incredibly destructive.World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 1 pg. 27 on iBooks Sludge Beasts These strange creatures share an elemental heritage, but have been corrupted by the powers of chaos. Now they exist as tortured masses of semi-sentient goo. No one knows what their motivations are or if there is any specific ecology behind their existence.Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos Game Manual - Sludge Beasts Titans Composed of the primordial matter from which the universe was born, the titans are colossal godlike beings who were uniquely susceptible to fel magic.World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 1 pg. 25 on iBooks Elemental Duality Many shamanic cultures have discovered that the elements can influence a variety of emotional states. For this reason, mortals associate the elements with different feelings, both positive and negative.World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 1 pg. 19-20 on iBooks Fire Positive Trait: Passion Negative Trait: Fury Air Positive Trait: Cunning Negative Trait: Madness Earth Positive Trait: Stability Negative Trait: Stubbornness Water Positive Trait: Tranquility Negative Trait: Indecisiveness Spirit Positive Trait: Bravery Negative Trait: Naivete Decay Positive Trait: Efficiency Negative Trait: Ruthlessness Professions of the Cosmos Conjurer Conjurers are seers of mystery, holders of secrets and dwellers in dream. These practitioners of the Arcane Arts have learned through researching the ancient tomes to bend the forces of nature to do their will. They can make the energies of nature strike down opponents, summon forth great creatures or command the elements. They are a secretive sect, and will only gather and train in their own specially prepared mystic towers.Warcraft: Orcs & Humans manual - Conjurer Conjurers maintain a close relationship with the elements about them.Warcraft: Orcs & Humans manual - Elemental Blast Mage Students gifted with a keen intellect and unwavering discipline may walk the path of the mage. The arcane magic available to magi is both great and dangerous, and thus is revealed only to the most devoted practitioners. Magiks involving the cardinal elements of the universe are favorites of the Mages.Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness manual - Fireball Priest Priests are devoted to the spiritual, and express their unwavering faith by serving the people. For millennia they have left behind the confines of their temples and the comfort of their shrines so they can support their allies in war-torn lands. In the midst of terrible conflict, no hero questions the value of the priestly orders.World of Warcraft > Game Guide > Classes > Priest Shaman For millennia, since the primitive tribal cultures of Azeroth and Draenor, the natural elements of the physical universe have been celebrated, feared, and even worshipped. Mystics sought communion with the earth, air, fire, and water, and learned to tap into their raw power. In time, these spiritual guides came to understand that nature’s elemental forces aren’t wholly benevolent, but have, in fact, been locked in an unending conflict of chaos and primal fury that once consumed the physical realm. So began the calling of the Shaman, to bring balance to these volatile energies, leveraging their intensity to mend wounds . . . or inflict them.World of Warcraft > Legion Class Preview Series: Shaman References Category:Lore Category:Magic